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Two armed men have entered a restaurant in Barcelona and are reported to be holding hostages, following an attack in which a van was driven into a crowd, causing a number of injuries. Two people are reported to have been killed. Police say they are "terrorist attacks".

France takes offence at Nazi comparison

French police round up Roma people who live in makeshift camps across the …Reuters

France has expressed anger over the comments of a senior European official who has compared the rhetoric accompanying France's expulsions of Roma migrants to Nazi discourse.

France’s European Affairs Minister Pierre Lellouche says he will officially ask Thomas Hammarberg, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, to explain his comments on France’s Roma policy.

On the micro-blogging site Twitter, Hammarberg wrote that "the current political rhetoric against the Roma is similar to the words used by the Nazis and fascist regimes. Politicians must show more responsibility." He also added a link to a feature on President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi on German television.

Lellouche responded to the comments with anger, saying that Hammarberg’s comments had “surprised and shocked” him.

In recent months, the French government has hardened its policy toward Roma communities and has deported several hundred Roma to Romania.